"He doesn't do it for the money" - Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson isn't surprised that Khabib Nurmagomedov turned down a fight against Georges St-Pierre
Stephen Thompson isn't surprised that Khabib Nurmagomedov turned down a potential fight for the ages against the legendary Georges St-Pierre.
Not all fighters compete for wealth, and Thompson is certain that Nurmagomedov never fought for the money.
According to the UFC welterweight, Khabib Nurmagomedov used to fight for the honor and glory that comes from the sport. 'Wonderboy' believes Khabib's aim was to prove to the world that he was the best fighter on the planet.
Money was never the driving factor behind Khabib Nurmagomedov's performances inside the octagon, claims Thompson.
'Wonderboy' believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov is a very honorable and honest man and he takes everything 'The Eagle' says at face value.
In a recent interview with James Lynch, Stephen Thompson suggested he'd always known Khabib was never coming out of retirement.
"When you look at Khabib, like, he's a very honorable man, very honorable, very honest and when he says he is going to do something, he's going to do it. I knew that when he said he was going to retire, you can see it in his eyes, you can see the way he talked about it. He wasn't coming back and when he says he's going to do something, you got to expect that. He honors that, unless it's for a ridiculous amount of money, maybe, but I don't think he does it for the money. He does it for the honor and the glory and to be the best fighter in the world. The GOAT. The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is Khabib." Stephen Thompson said.
Catch James Lynch's interview with Stephen Thompson below:
GSP reveals why a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov didn't happen
Khabib Nurmagomedov had reportedly wanted to fight Georges St-Pierre on multiple occasions. However, according to the Canadian, the fight never came to fruition because the UFC intervened.
"For me, it was worth it to fight Khabib because he was undefeated, he's like, he probably has the most dominant career of all time you know and I don't even know if he lost a round. So, we were talking about it to the UFC and I know Khabib wanted that fight, I wanted that fight but the UFC had other plans," said GSP in an interview with MMA Junkie.